Shakeel Badayuni | |
|---|---|
 Shakeel Badayuni on a 2013 stamp of India | |
| Born | (1916-08-03)3 August 1916 |
| Died | 20 April 1970 (aged 53) |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Genre | Love, philosophy |
Shakeel Badayuni (3 August 1916 – 20 April 1970) was an IndianUrdu poet, lyricist and songwriter inHindi / Urdu language films.[1][2][3]
Shakeel Badayuni was born inBadaun, Uttar Pradesh. His father, Mohammed Jamaal Ahmed Sokhta Qadiri, wanted him to have a successful career, thus he arrangedArabic,Urdu,Persian, andHindi tuition for Shakeel at home. His inclination towards poetry was not hereditary like othershayars.[4] One of his distant relatives, Zia-ul-Qadiri Badayuni, was a religiousshayar. Shakeel Masoodi was influenced by him and the contemporary environment of Badayun led him to poetry.[5]
When he joinedAligarh Muslim University in 1936, he started participating in inter-college, inter-universitymushairas, or poetry recitation symposiums, and won frequently. In 1940, he married Salma, who was his distant relative and had been living in a common house with him since childhood. However, thepurdah system was strictly observed in their family and they were not close. After completing his BA, he moved toDelhi as a supply officer, but continued participating inmushairas, earning fame nationwide. Those were the days ofshayars who wrote about the downtrodden sections of society, their emancipation, and the betterment of society. But Shakeel had an altogether different taste – his poetry was romantic and close to the heart.[5] Shakeel used to say:
During his Aligarh days, Badauni also started learning Urdu poetry formally from Hakim Abdul Waheed 'Ashk' Bijnori.
Shakeel moved toBombay in 1944, to write songs for films. He met film producer,A.R. Kardar and music composer,Naushad Ali, who asked him to sum up his poetic skills in one line. Shakeel wrote,Hum Dard Ka Afsana Duniya Ko Suna Denge, Har Dil Main Mohabbat Ki Ek Aag Laga Dengey. Naushad immediately retained him for Kardar's film,Dard (1947). The songs ofDard proved to be very successful, especiallyUma Devi (Tun Tun)'sAfsana Likh Rahi Hoon. Only a few are so lucky that they attain success in their first film, but Shakeel deserved success which started withDard and continued on over the years.[5]
Together, he and Naushad became one of the most sought after composer/lyricist duos in the industry. Among the scores they churned out together, are those ofDeedar (1951),Baiju Bawra (1952),Mother India (1957), andMughal-e-Azam (1960), that stand out. Other films they scored together includeDulari (1949),Shabab (1954),Ganga Jamuna (1961), andMere Mehboob (1963). Although Shakeel Badayuni worked most extensively with Naushad, he also collaborated with Ravi and Hemant Kumar. His lyrics for the songHusnwale Tera Jawab Nahin and Ravi's music score both wonFilmfare Awards for the hit filmGharana. His other notable film with Ravi isChaudhvin Ka Chand (1960), whileSahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962) is his biggest hit with Hemant Kumar. The title song fromChaudhvin Ka Chand, rendered byMohammed Rafi, won Badayuni theFilmfare Award for Best Lyricist in 1961.
Shakeel penned numbers for around 89 films. In addition, he wrote many popularghazals sung byBegum Akhtar, which are still sung by vocalists likePankaj Udhas and others.
The Indian government had honoured him with the titleGeet Kar-e-Azam.
Shakeel shared a close friendship with Naushad, Ravi, and Naushad's former assistant,Ghulam Mohammed, with whom he enjoyed his life to the fullest. Naushad used Shakeel as the lyricist for his tunes for most of his films for a period of 24 years.Baiju Bawra, which was a milestone in both of their careers, was supposed to go toKavi Pradeep.Vijay Bhatt, the director of the movie was insistent on using Kavi Pradeep as the lyricist, since the film was supposed to have many devotional songs. Naushad requested Vijay Bhatt to hear the lyrics written by Shakeel. Vijay Bhatt agreed.[5]
When Shakeel Badayuni was diagnosed with tuberculosis, he was put up in a sanatorium in Panchgani for treatment.Naushad knowing that his financial condition was not good, took 3 films to him, getting the lyrics written in the sanatorium, and got him a payment of nearly 10 times more than his normal fees.
Shakeel also wrote a substantial chunk of songs for music directorRavi Sharma. Prominent amongst them wereChaudhvin Ka Chand (1960),Gharana (1961),Ghunghat,Grahasti (1963),Nartaki (1963), as well asPhool Aur Patthar andDo Badan (both released in 1966).[5]
Shakeel wrote forHemant Kumar for movies likeBees Saal Baad (1962),Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962),Bin Badal Barsaat.[5]
Shakeel penned lyrics for the tunes of S.D. Burman for movies Kaise Kahoon & Benazir.[5]
C.Ramachandra – Zindagi Aur Maut, Wahan Ke Log.[5]Roshan – Bedaag, Noorjahan.[5]
Shakeel Badayuni succumbed todiabetes complications at the age of fifty-three, on 20 April 1970, at Bombay Hospital leaving behind his wife, two sons and two daughters. One daughter, Najma, died soon afterwards, while still a college student. His elder son Javed and grandson Zeeshan work in the travel and tourism industry. His other son's name is Tariq. Shakeel's friends Ahmed Zakaria and Rangoonwala formed a trust calledYaad-e-Shakeel after his death and this trust became the source of some income for his bereaved family.[5]
Shakeel loved to play badminton, go on picnics and hunting trips and fly kites with his friends from the industry,Naushad andMohammed Rafi. SometimesJohnny Walker would join them in kite-flying competitions.Dilip Kumar, writersWajahat Mirza, Khumar Barabankvi and Azm Bazidpuri were among Shakeel's other close friends within the industry.[5]
Badayuni penned several memorable songs in his career. Some of his popular works include the musicalBaiju Bawra (1952), historical epicMughal-e-Azam (1960) and socialSahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962).
A postage stamp, bearing his face, was released byIndia Post to honour him on 3 May 2013.[7]
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